Convince Me, Sesshoumaru
by Mistress Nika
Summary: Rin is fifteen and Sesshoumaru is wondering how exactly he sees her now. But then an illness threatens her life and he must match wits with the death goddess for her soul. ONESHOT
1. Default Chapter

~Disclaimer...I don't own InuYasha. I do however own Sesshoumaru and Kurama! And Naraku, but only when he comes over to "play".  
  
Thank you lilhillbillie! For telling me how I royally screw my stories up before I post them!! That way other people don't!  
  
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They had been walking again. But it didn't matter. They did a lot of that. But lately Rin was getting very tired. So tired that Sesshoumaru had to pick her up once and carry her in his arms when she couldn't walk anymore. He didn't do that anymore. He said she was old enough to walk on her own. Rin didn't know why she was so tired, or why it seemed so cold. It was the middle of summer. She just knew that she had to keep walking for her Sesshoumaru-sama. She raised her gaze from the ground in front of her and looked up at Sesshoumaru's back, at his long silver hair. She liked watching his hair when he walked. How it swayed side to side, back and forth, in perfect rhythm with every step. His hair was perfect, but then everything about her Sesshoumaru-sama was perfect. So engrossed in his hair was she, that she tripped over something and landed face first on the hard ground.   
  
"Watch it!" a whiny voice whined.   
  
She tried to pull herself up, but the whiny thing hit her hard on the head with his staff.   
  
"Stupid human girl!' he whined angrily. "Watch where you're going!"   
  
Rin tried to say something, but her vision swam and blurred. He didn't hit her hard enough to injure her, so she couldn't figure out why her head hurt so. Just as she was pondering it a butterfly crossed in front of her. *Oh, pretty butterfly!* was her last thought as she fell into unconsciousness on the hard ground.  
  
Jaken was panicked! He didn't mean to hit her that hard! Sesshoumaru-sama was sure to kill him now! He hopped anxiously back and forth on his feet, stopping every so often to poke her with his staff. "Heh-heh" he laughed nervously, "Get up now girl! You've had your fun!" He glanced at Sesshoumaru who had stopped, but still had his back to them. "Come on now!" he nearly cried, "Up. Up!"  
  
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said coolly.  
  
The toad-youkai looked sheepishly up at his master.  
  
"Yes, milord?" he said in a small voice.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned to face them, and stared at the unconscious girl.  
  
"She won't wake," he said calmly. "She's ill."  
  
He looked around for a suitable place to stop and soon found one. A very small clearing canopied by huge thick trees.  
  
He turned to Jaken and commanded him, "Build a fire. And get water."  
  
Then he turned and picked the human girl up in his arms, carrying her to the clearing and leaning her against a tree.  
  
He honestly didn't know why he was bothering. She was human after all. He should just let her die. But after nine years of traveling with her, he knew he couldn't ignore the strange urge to protect her from harm. He wouldn't show it of course, but he silently admitted to himself that he had grown quite fond of her. Just as long as he didn't have to admit it out loud. But he was confused about something. Just what was she to him that he should allow her to follow him? At first she had been a test for Tensaiga. Not long after that he had considered her an amusement, something he could study to remind him of why he was superior to humans in every way. Then, and much to his horror, he began to look on her as his own daughter. That thought troubled him immensely at first, but he had finally gotten used to it. And now? Well, she was too old to look on as a daughter, nearly sixteen. Had she been a normal human girl, who lived in a human village, and didn't travel with a demon lord, she would already be married with children. He nearly laughed at the thought of Rin, working in her garden as her children ran about her legs, her husband off hunting or working in the fields. *No*, he thought, *that's not the life for her. She has something special in store for her, her spirit is so great.*  
  
Jaken meantime had built the fire and brought water. He scurried around, trying to look busy. He was sure his master was going to blame him for this.  
  
Sesshoumaru stood and started to reach for the water when Rin suddenly let out a moan followed by a deep sigh and her breathing stopped. He immediately kneeled down and listened for her heartbeat. There was none. Suddenly, his Rin was gone. He could feel his world falling apart around him, all because of one stupid human girl. He simply stood there, staring at her lifeless body. He had taught himself never to feel emotion, but suddenly so many were running through him, he nearly showed it on the outside! He would not accept it! If her death meant his weakness, he would never allow it! So he unsheathed Tensaiga, just as he had done ten years ago and prepared to swing. But then everything went dark, and the world faded away. He could hear Rin's laughter echoing though the darkness, but he couldn't find her. He scanned the area and finally spotted her, dancing merily and laughing. He didn't know what he was seeing or why, but he reached out his left hand for her, his right still gripping Tensaiga. He started to call out to her, but stopped when a new figure appeared. It was a woman, dressed all in black. She wore black robes, like a miko's and black armor covered her chest and shoulders. At her left side she carried a long katana sword and on her right was an intricate dagger. The sheath was black, as was the handle, but they were both inlaid with silver. In her hand was a staff, the tip of which she rested on the ground. It was solid gold and extremely ornamental, with strange markings carved all on it that he couldn't read. She bumped it once against the ground and it made a jingling sound. Rin, seemingly oblivious of him, stopped playing and ran to the woman. The woman smiled warmly down at the carefree young woman and held out her hand to her.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" she asked gently  
  
Rin took her hand and said, "Yes, I'm ready."  
  
The woman began to lead Rin away, fading slightly into the darkness. Sesshoumaru started to call out to them, but Rin suddenly stopped walking and faded back into view.  
  
"What about Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked innocently.  
  
The woman smiled back at her and said, "We won't be seeing him for a while yet, I'm afraid."  
  
Rin started to tear and the woman continued warmly, "But I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you again when you do. And there's lots to do where we're going! You'll have fun and the time will pass quickly. Before you know it you'll be back with him," She gave her another warm smile and Rin nodded. They began to walk back into the darkness.  
  
Sesshoumaru would be damned before he let this strange woman take his Rin away! He swung Tensaiga at her body, bringing her back to life. She took a deep breath and suddenly her soul was ripped from the strange woman's hand and pulled back into her body. She was alive again, unconscious, but alive. Sesshoumaru felt deep satisfaction as the woman looked toward him, eyes wide with shock.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?!" she roared.  
  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru was feeling very uneasy as the woman disappeared and reappeared not three inches from his nose.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU TO COMMAND THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH!?" she roared at him again.  
  
For the first time since his father died, Sesshoumaru was afraid of someone. He quickly realized that this being, whatever she was, was not one to be trifled with. And she was very upset! He took a step back and bumped into something, but ignored it. He had other problems. For one, she was demanding an explanation and he couldn't seem to find his voice.  
  
She continued to bore holes into him while he just stood there, quaking in his boots. She was extremely pissed off! No one could command the power of life and death but HER! NO ONE!! She wanted to know who and what this demon thought he was! Medling with powers beyond his station and playing with fate like a child's toy... Then her eyes traveled downward. (A/N-No! Not there!!...hentai's...) She gasped at what she saw in his hand. (A/N-STILL not there!!...maybe it's just me that's the hentai...)  
  
"The Tensaiga," she said softly, now coming to understand.  
  
She returned her eyes to the demon lord's and said, "I see. So you're Sesshoumaru."  
  
Sesshoumaru was certainly not expecting that! He was expecting to be filleted, or sliced-and-diced, maybe made into julienne fries! BBQ..? (A/N-maybe I should stop now..) So when she lowered her voice, calmed down signifantly, and called him by name, he was throughly surprised.  
  
She saw the millions of questions running through the demon lord's head and decided to answer them...well, as much as she felt like it anyway.  
  
She backed off a bit, put her hands on her hips and said, "I am the Morrigan, Phantom Queen and Goddess of Battle. I am also the Chooser of the Slain."  
  
She glanced at Rin's unconscious body at Sesshoumaru's feet.  
  
"I came for the girl's soul, upon her death." she said. "She is very special to us."  
  
Her eyes seemed to soften a bit when looking at the girl, but she quickly returned her gaze to his and said gesturing to the Tensaiga, "I entered into a pact with your father when that sword was forged, along with it's companion sword, the Tetsusaiga. When Totosai forged the swords, I imbued them with my power. One for life, and one for death. My only condition was that you should get the Sword of Life and that your brother should get the Sword of Destruction."  
  
She smiled and tossed her long black hair over her shoulder offhandedly.  
  
She chuckled softly and said, "He was quite unhappy with that!"  
  
Then she laughed outright, her laughter sounding oddly like thunder, and said, "Imagine his rage when I told him!"  
  
Sesshoumaru had always wondered why his father would have given the half-breed such a powerful sword, and now he had his answer. And he could definately see his father's anger at being given such an order! But he wondered why she had chosen such an arrangement, and also what she had gained from the agreement. He began to ask, but she held up a hand to silence him.  
  
"You want to know why, right?" she said, getting a little annoyed. She really hated explaining herself to mortals. She once again made an offhanded toss of her hair and said, "Simple. You are more powerful than him, even with the Tetsusaiga. Can you imagine the power you would wield if you had been given the sword instead?"  
  
Oh, he could imagine all right. That was why he wanted it! But, he supposed he could see the wisdom in her actions. As much as he hated to admit it, too much power in the hands of one individual would only lead to trouble. Even for him. But he still wanted to know what she got from the deal. So he asked, as much as he could when face-to-face with a goddess that could kill him without a second thought.  
  
"What did you get from your pact with father?" he asked, managing to sound calmer than he felt.  
  
She smiled, but this time it was a darker smile. He knew it had been something great, something his father probably didn't want to part with.  
  
"Well," she began, "I gave to his sons the power of life and death. In return, I am to receive one of his descendants as my heir."  
  
Sesshoumaru couldn't help it. His eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth hung wide in astonishment.  
  
She continued, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You see, there are no gods worthy of me, so I cannot bear my own children. Therefore, I require one, mortal or not, who is worthy to be my child. Time has no meaning for me, so I will wait until the child is born and take it as my own."  
  
She looked suddenly mischievous and said, "In fact, she'll probably be born of your loins, Sesshoumaru."  
  
This was too much information for the demon lord to process. He prided himself on his quick wits, but his brain just seemed to shut down at those little revelations.  
  
She was enjoying watching him squirm, and the way his mouth hung open like that, she would have mistaken him for his baka brother. She was about to point that fact out when suddenly a peal of thunder crashed through the darkness, bringing both the demon lord and the death goddess to their senses. She sighed and said to the thunder, "Yes, I know. I'm coming." Then she turned to back to face Sesshoumaru and said exasperated, "I'm afraid I have no more time to spend on you, demon. I have other duties to perform." She bent down and took Rin's hand before he could protest, pulling her soul back out of her body and effectively killing her again.  
  
Rin stood there, not knowing what was going on and staring first at the strange woman who held her hand, then at her Lord Sesshoumaru. Finally she looked into the woman's face and said, "Excuse me, but...who are you?"  
  
Morrigan sighed and her face grew angry again. "Now look what you've done!" she shouted at Sesshoumaru. "You've broken the spell!! Now I'll have to take her by force!" Then Rin suddenly turned into a ball of light, resting in the goddess' hand, then disappeared altogether.  
  
Sesshoumaru was certainly not pleased with these recent developments. Even knowing what he knew now, he wasn't about to let Rin go. And he made that fact known when he shouted, "Give her back!"  
  
This outburst of emotion startled Morrigan and she said surprised, "You actually wish for her return that much?" Her only answer was an angry and equally pained silence from him. Sometimes she felt sorry for these pathetic creatures, but she knew she had to fulfill her obligations as the Chooser of the Slain. But she also knew there was a loophole, and she was about to use it. She smiled slyly and said, "Alright. Then convince me."  
  
He just stared at her, wondering what she meant.  
  
"Convince me that she should remain in your world. Give me good reasons, and if you manage to convince me, I'll let her remain."  
  
Sesshoumaru suddenly realized what she meant, and he knew that he would have to reveal a great deal of his soul to her to succeed. More than he had ever revealed, even to himself. He thought about it for a few minutes and then began.  
  
"She's special. She gives warmth and hope to all those around her and takes away pain. Her heart is pure and innocent. She deserves life, because there are too many things left for her to do. Too many people left for her to touch." He thought back on everything he had seen of her and never admitted. "She likes to dance." he said suddenly. "And to sing. She also likes flowers. When she's sad it seems like the sun is torn away from the sky and a single smile from me, for some strange reason, can make her world safe and happy again. And when she's happy, the world sings with her. When she's happy...I'm happy. She's different from every other creature. She's not like humans, weak and fearful. And she's not like demons, powerful but vain and destructive. No, she's more like a bird. A bird whose joy comes from within, who sings from their own heart, but makes the world bright with their light. There's nothing like my Rin in this world, and to deprive the world of her would be as to deprive the world of the air we breathe. Both are necessary for all life. And to deprive me of her light would cause my soul to wither and die," He lowered his head at that confession, extremely embarrassed at what he said, but more so of what he was about to say. He raised his head back up, determined to make her understand. "I love her. Not as a daughter, but as a woman. And if you take her away, I'll make sure you never have an heir." Sure, that was a threat, but he was at the end of his rope. "I'll kill my brother, then I'll kill myself. Just to make your existence never ending, with no one to take your place when you grow weary."  
  
His tone had grown dark and arrogant. Normally she would have struck him down for threatening her, but she couldn't. He had convinced her. You see, the only thing that could touch the death goddess' heart enough to make her choose life, was a confession of love. All the other words were meaningless to her, which was why so few had managed to convince her. Mortals seemed to lack the courage to declare their love for one another when faced with such a situation. But this youkai had great courage, true courage. And so, she smiled, held out her hand and returned the girl's soul to her body.  
  
"Very good, demon," she said regally. She began to fade away into the darkness, disappearing from his sight. "Very good," she whispered, just before an explosion of light caused him to raise his arm in front of his eyes to keep from being blinded.  
  
When the light cleared, he found himself standing over Rin's body in the forest, still holding Tensaiga in his claw. Jaken was frantically calling his name, begging him to come back from his insanity. As a reflex Sesshoumaru kicked the toad, sending him skidding across the ground. The toad rebounded quicker than he would have thought possible and ran up to him, jumping up and down wildly.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!" he cried, "You're back!! I thought you'd taken leave of your senses! Talking to phantoms in the night and...declaring love for a human!!"  
  
Now Sesshoumaru was confused again, but he quickly pieced it together. "Phantoms," he said. What had she called herself? The Phantom Queen? Tensaiga was a sword imbued with part of her power, so the reason only he had seen her must have been because he was holding it. He decided to ignore the toad's comments about him being insane, and declaring his love for a human... He sheathed Tensaiga and bent down over Rin. He shook her awake rather roughly, concerned for her even though she showed no signs of illness and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She stirred, groaned and then opened her eyes. Relief washed over him at this and he knew he would never leave her side.  
  
She smiled up at him and said, "Sesshoumaru, I had the strangest dream..."   
  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(A/N) This is the first in a series of Convince Me's. I don't want to ruin anything though so that's all I'll say. But after reading this I'm pretty sure you know what's gonna happen in them all. (And if you don't, you must be InuYasha!) They're all gonna be a single chapter long, but I might end up combining them into one long story. One question though, after reading it, do you think I should do people outside the InuYasha series? All I can think of is Sess/Rin, Kag/Inu, and Mir/San! Are there any other's you can think of? Maybe I should do a Inu/Kik one and have InuYasha fail to save her!? Y'know, cause he doesn't love her... I'm not a big fan of the dead chick. She was okay alive, but now that she's dead she like one major pain in InuYasha's behind! Not to mention poor Kagome! Hmmm.... Maybe I should do a Kikyo/Naraku Convince Me!!? Ooh! How 'bout a funny one about Kaede and Kagome's grandfather!!!???   
  
*ahem* Read and Review! Ten glowing reviews will result in a sequal, twelve in a tragedy and fifteen in a happy ending! I think everyone knows that the death goddess is gonna have to come after her heir! Does she get it? Let's wait and see!! 


	2. Author's Note

Okay, I don't know if anyone else was confused, but one person was about certain things. First of all, "When did Sesshoumaru get both his arms back?" Well, that's a secret, saved for the Inu/Kag one. Next, "Why would the Phantom Queen need weapons?" Well, she's also the Goddess of Battle. And Phantom Queen is one of the Celtic goddess, Morrigan's titles. Because my death goddess is a combination between Morrigan and the Norse Valkyries. Next, "Did she continue to hold her staff as she was holding Rin?" Well, duh, of course. One hand for her staff, one for Rin's hand! Did anyone else think that she was actually HOLDING the katana and dagger? Because it said "at her side"! I'm assuming everyone knows that means "at her side", not in her hand. Oh, and I may have failed to clarify that what Sesshoumaru stepped on while in the darkness was Jaken, but I assume that everyone knows that. Jaken just seems to scream, "Step on me! I'm annoying, green, and short!"  
  
Now about Morrigan. I changed some of it around to fit my story, but I got this off an ancient mythology site where I did my research:  
  
The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility. Her name translates as either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen," and both epithets are entirely appropriate for her.   
  
(A/N-the Morrigan prefers to use magic in battle)   
  
"Influence in the sphere of warfare, but by means of magic and incantation rather than through physical strength, is common to these beings." (Ross 205)   
  
The Morrigan could appear as a beautiful woman or as a crow. In addition to being a battle goddess, she is significantly associated with fate as well as birth in many cases, along with appearing before a death or to escort the deceased.  
  
Morrigan is similar to Valkyries in Norse cosmology. Both use magic to cast fetters on warriors and choose who will die.   
  
Another guise of the Morrigan is the Washer at the Ford. She is usually to be found washing the clothes of men about to die in battle. In effect, she is choosing who will die. 


	3. Another Author's Note

I'm afraid I'm having problems with my computer and I'm having to reinstall my Windows XP operating system. I'm trying to transfer all my data to discs, but I can't get access to the folder I stored my fics in. This means I can't update until I get it fixed. It also means that I'm probably gonna start several new fics. Sorry for those who were waiting for me to update. 


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